MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Students at an East Memphis middle school were warned to stay away from strangers.

The Shelby County School District said a group of suspicious men were caught walking up to children near Colonial Middle School and offering them candy.

A SCS spokesperson confirmed police had been told of the so-called candy men and were working to keep students safe.

Parents were told to talk to their children after at least three men were caught on camera allegedly selling candy to children from the trunk of a car.

“Sometimes you’ve got to worry about when people are hanging around a school when they don’t have kids there,” Charles Petty said.

The school posted the warning to their Facebook page on Friday, but the post disappeared when WREG began asking questions.

“I don’t see anything wrong with that. If kids want to get some candy, they’re going to get it,” Will Vanasek, who lives near the school, said.

“It depends on what kind of guys are selling candy,” Petty explained.

No one WREG spoke with near the school, including parents, knew who the guys were or if they were up to no good.

“I mean I got 4 or 5 cameras pointed at me right now,” Vanasek described.

Neighbors said the school does a good job looking out for its students and were glad the principal posted the pictures online.

“I live here. You know? This is my house,” Vanasek said. “I want safety to be for the kids, for us, for my neighbors.”

The school claimed the men were cited but still wanted parents to be on the lookout.

“The whole idea of don’t talk to strangers or hang out with strangers, but apparently if they got candy — I mean that’s the oldest rouse in the book. So you know just look out.,” Petty said.